There’s something about this video (embedded below). I watch it over and over again. I can’t put my finger on it, but I think it’s because I want to see more, I want to see Robinson play.

It’s May 18, 1947. Jackie Robinson becomes the first black ballplayer in the major leagues to step on the diamond at Wrigley Field.

This is one year before the military’s integration. Seven years before Brown vs. the Board of Education and eight years before the tragic death of Emmett Till.

This date remains the largest paid single game attendance at Wrigley Field(47,101). Current MLB commissioner Bud Selig, then 12, watched from the grandstands.

The Dodgers overcome three fielding errors (one by Jackie) to score four runs in the seventh in route to a 4-2 win against the Cubs. Robinson plays first base; bats second and goes 0-for-4 with two strikeouts–both looking.

Robinson played in 151-games for the season, hit .297 with 12 HRs and 48 RBI. He won the Rookie of the Year Award.

Over the course of his 10-year career Robinson played 93-games at Wrigley Field hitting .295/.400/.446, 5 HRs, 43 RBI.

This past Thursday (Jan. 31) was Robinson’s 94th birthday. He was celebrated in a Google Doodle drawing on Google’s home page.

Dempster could realistically join his new team (playing on the road in New York) by Saturday and replace the Dodgers’ weakest link in its rotation, Nathan Eovaldi (1-6) 4.33 ERA, who’s scheduled to start the series finale against the Mets on Sunday.

Dempster, of course, shut the Mets down two starts ago going five shutout innings on a limited pitch-count in his return from the 15-day DL recovering from a sore lat muscle.

Chad Billingsley, recovering from an inflamed right elbow, is scheduled to make his return from the 15-day DL against the Cardinals in St. Louis on Monday. This sets up a formidable threesome in the Dodgers rotation of Dempster, Billingsley & Clayton Kershaw (followed by Harang & Capuano).

The Sunday rotation spot also gives Dempster a favorable pitching schedule. He’d quickly be baptized into the always heated Dodgers vs. Giants rivalry in his next start at San Francisco before making his Dodgers home debut vs. Arizona, who Demps made quick work of over 6.0 shutout innings last Saturday at Wrigley Field.

The most appealing start, however, would be Dempster’s third outing with L.A.–a possible home game against none other than his former mates, the Cubs.

Another embarrassing loss on the West Coast has dropped Chicago seven back of St. Louis warranting nothing more than the occasional shoulder shrug and head shake–my reactions following Russell Martin’s grand slam in the sixth.